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And Luiz could not hide his delight that he had been able to battle through, telling ESPN Brazil: "I had to spend a month of my life doing nothing, just recovering to come here and play those 120 minutes.

"And I even managed to score from the penalty spot! I can barely move my legs now, but it was worth it.

"In one of the intervals I looked at the bench and they looked back at me, noticing (that I was tired) but I remained on the pitch and could keep playing."

Historic

His former Benfica team-mate Ramires was not so fortunate to be involved after picking up a suspension in Barcelona during the semi-final.

But there can be no doubting the contribution of the 25-year-old who scored a crucial goal in the Nou Camp.

And the Brazil international admits only World Cup success could cap his career after this historic win.

"I always said that Chelsea had to be respected," added Ramires. "We managed to be strong in the Champions League.

"Chelsea deserved respect and had the strength to come back. Now I only need to win the World Cup to end my career well.

"This year was not so good, but the end of the season ended up being wonderful.

"This was a title that the club really wanted to win. We surely are in Chelsea's history now."